Waterville woman who shot husband will take hunter safety course

WATERVILLE — A Waterville woman who shot her husband in May while turkey hunting in China will take a hunter safety course and make a donation to an anti-poaching group after pleading guilty to a criminal charge from the incident.

Janice Jacques, 58, accidentally shot her husband, Reginald Jacques, while the couple were hunting in early May. Reginald Jacques was hospitalized with injuries that were not considered life-threatening after the shooting.

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District Attorney Maeghan Maloney said that Janice Jacques pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to assault while hunting, a class D crime. According to state law, a person is guilty of the charge if “while in the pursuit of wild game or game birds, he, with criminal negligence, causes bodily injury to another with the use of a dangerous weapon.”

Maloney said Jacques was given a one-year deferred disposition, which means that if she completes all the conditions placed on her for the year, the charge will be dropped.

Conditions include that Jacques attend a hunter safety course and make a $150 donation to Operation Game Thief, a nonprofit program that provides cash rewards for information about fish and wildlife poaching. Jacques can also not commit any crimes over the course of the next year, Maloney said.

Jacques was charged by the district attorney’s office in August. At the time, Maloney said she didn’t believe Jacques intentionally shot her husband, but her actions still violated state law.

The couple were hunting turkey in a wooded area near Danforth Road in China on the morning of May 5 when the shooting happened. At the time, the Maine Warden Service said Jacques fired her gun loaded for turkey and inadvertently hit Reginald Jacques in the face and arm. Wardens said they didn’t know what Jacques was aiming at when the gun went off.

The couple got out of the woods and were taking Reginald Jacques to get medical attention when they saw a Winslow police cruiser during a traffic stop on Route 137 and flagged him down to help.

Reginald Jacques was taken to MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta for treatment.

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Credi

Why don’t you fix your misleading Facebook title post, you hacks.

gstrdr1966

Man put shotgun in the hands of an untrained person. Man was subsequently shot. Sounds like a pretty straight-forward situation to me.

Credi

You know nothing of the situation. So keep you opinions of facts you know nothing about to yourself.

gstrdr1966

Never been hunting with someone whose skills I didn’t trust. Never been shot by a fellow hunter. I stand by my opinion.

EC

And, how do you feel about the new no-permit, no-training concealed weapons law, my friend? You might not hunt with people you don’t trust but you shop with them, go to restaurants, bars and movie theaters with them, etc. Hunker down.

gstrdr1966

Had a CCP for many years. Can’t say I am a big fan of “festival carry”. Would rather see a Federal permit, valid in all states, but still requiring certification.

Because anything controlled by the government has gone swimmingly so well… /sarcasm.

EC

We have laws and they are widely obeyed. Used to be no seat belts. Now most people wear them, because it’s illegal not to. Smoking in restaurants. Sure, people break laws and get arrested but most people follow laws.

Credi

Federal permit, like a gun registry? Your beliefs are cyclical. You know nothing.

gstrdr1966

If I meant “gun registry”, I would have said so, stupid. “Federal permit” is one CCP for all states, not one for each.

Credi

If you dont understand that a Federal database of permits is exactly what a gun registry is, you are an idiot.

gstrdr1966

By definition, a “gun registry” is a registry of guns. Not a database of gun OWNERS. Since almost every state has a database of permit holders, this already exists. Of course this only contains names of those gun owners who have CCPs, not ALL gun owners. I guessyou cannot understand the difference. You are long on wind, but short on brains. I am bored with you. Yap at someone else.

Credi

I cant help but notice how low your IQ must be. Did you graduate junior high?

Credi

Accidents happen. Don’t act like you are so much better. Let me peer into your personal life and see what I can dig up.

gstrdr1966

You cannot POSSIBLY be as big a jackass as you sound…

Credi

I can show you in person if you like.

gstrdr1966

Sorry. I hang out with a higher class of people. Besides, such a base comment proves my point. You ARE a tremendous jackass.

Credi

Scared to be confronted with facts? A true keyboard warrior.

gstrdr1966

Again, you are long on wind, but short on brains. I am bored with you. Yap at someone else.

Credi

Whats wrong? Your insults are lacking. It takes me 4 seconds to respond. How long does it take you to find and peck your way across the keyboard? I will own you.

EC

Hey, but the good news is, since she only was charged with a Class D misdemeanor, she can now carry a concealed Glock to the grocery store and movie theater — with no training and no permit. We should be New Hampshire: Live Free or Die baby.

True, leave conceal carry only for illegals and lawbreakers. I’d rather see a legal gunowner, who is wet behind the ears, untrained person make a perp scatter like a cockroach than to see another perpetrator go to to a “gun free” zone and *gasp* bring a gun!!!! Gee… Maybe these illegals/lawbreakers can’t read… let’s take more hard workers money and pay for an education system in jails specifically on how to a read gun free zone signs… Im sure Pingree would be all for it. Let the poor lady take the course, she feels bad enough, accidents happen.

EC

Tell that to the Portland Police Chief, Al. But I’m sure you know more about public safety and guns than he does.

“Sauschuck said he’s worried that the new law will encourage people to carry concealed weapons who wouldn’t have otherwise.”

Imagine that! Doing what the law was intended to do, make criminals think twice before attempting to infringe on their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness… Because maybe, they can fight back or equal or outweigh the force that was invaded onto them.

You know as well as I that the chiefs job is more politics and a man to blame if the LEO’s cause some alphabet group to have a hissy. He claims he knows the laws but then talks like no one deserves them.

Credi

She is of her own fortitude to decide to go hunting, you misogynist.

gstrdr1966

“She is of her own fortitude…”? What does that even mean? And how am I a misogynist when I never mentioned women at all? Are you just throwing big words around to sound smart? Not working.

OLIVE SOUP

I write as I fear that the light sentence of a misdemeanor is based on the severity or lack thereof of the injury sustained by the wounded person. I also fear that the sentence is somehow limited by the fact that the wounded party is a family member who found no need to sue his attacker for assault with a deadly weapon.
Had the victim been killed or worse, permanently and severely disabled, I suspect that the plea would have been more challenging to support. I also fear that the case would have remained a criminal matter if the victim had sued with his own attorney.
Shooting someone with a gun under any circumstance should not be a misdemeanor. If you are using a gun, you need to be held responsible for all of the outcomes of the use of the gun. I think the state has lost an opportunity to make hunters and all people who own and use guns to be held to a high standard for safety. In this case, I see no benefit to allowing Mrs. Jacques to own or shoot a gun again.

Credi

If you’re so fearful of going outside, maybe you should move out of this State that you know nothing about. You know nothing of this situation. It scares me that people like you are allowed to vote.

OLIVE SOUP

Hi Credi,
I am baffled by your reply and find it to be a non sequitur. Please enlighten us on your points.

Olive

Credi

I see no benefit to you being able to comment here as you do not add constructive ideas, only fear mongering based on your own skewed and uneducated views on the matter.

OLIVE SOUP

Hi Credi,
I am baffled by your reply and find it to be a non sequitur. Please enlighten us on your points.